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Austria
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McLaren will trial its own version of the âupside-downâ rear wing concept at this weekendâs Austrian Grand Prix, following similar designs run by Ferrari and Red Bull. The team said it âwill test an experimental rear wing throughout Fridayâs free practice sessionsâ, with The Race reporting it is still at an evaluation stage and is more likely to make its competitive debut later in the season.
PlanetF1.com reports Cadillac will bring a further upgrade package to the Austrian Grand Prix, with Sergio Perez expecting a âgood, big [upgrade] packageâ as the team looks to continue closing its gap in its first F1 season. Valtteri Bottas also confirmed new parts are coming, but warned reliability is now the priority after two straight retirements, saying: âTwo DNFs in a row, it doesnât matter how quick the car is if you canât finish the race.â
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff says Formula 1 should stay away from Balance of Performance, calling it a âpolitical messâ, while backing the FIAâs 2026 power-unit âprotection mechanismâ of ADUO as a form of âfine-tuningâ to help avoid big gaps between manufacturers. Wolff said: "I get a rash of allergies when talking about BoP. This is something that we should stay far away from Formula 1. It's a political mess in all the other series. It makes manufacturers go out of the sport also, and I've been very close to that, as you can imagine, in DTM, in GTs, in Le Mans."
Martin Brundle says Charles Leclerc needs a âvery strong performanceâ in Austria and at Silverstone to re-establish himself at Ferrari, with Lewis Hamilton âlooking like the clear team leader nowâ after winning the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix while Leclerc retired. Brundle said: "He's had a torrid time of late and he needs a very strong performance in the upcoming Austria and Silverstone races to re-establish himself, because Hamilton is looking like the clear team leader now. Lewis' last three race results read second, second, first."
Lewis Hamilton says he could recommend a change of direction in Ferrariâs development as it tries to catch Mercedes in the Formula 1 title race, with the team still facing what he described as a power deficit. Hamilton said: "I'll be at the factory [before Austria]; we'll do a download; we'll speak to the aerodynamicists, looking at all the different things that are in the pipeline, when they're coming, what effect they'll have, and re-steer if I need to in whatever direction I feel that the car needs to go."
Liam Lawson says Max Verstappen was âvery realâ and supportive to work with as his Red Bull team-mate. Lawson said: "In general, Max was just always very real, like he's somebody that at such a high-level, accomplished position that he's in, it'd be very easy for him to not be like that. And it's not just with me; he seems to be like that with everybody. And I think Max is somebody who just wants to race cars and loves to talk about cars, loves to talk about racing."
Former Red Bull chief advisor Helmut Marko says Red Bull can get back into the fight at the front, with the team expected to bring a sizeable upgrade at its home round at this weekendâs Austrian Grand Prix. Marko said: "Generally speaking, it has to be said that updates are certainly more effective at this stage of the regulations; you can gain a five-tenths-of-a-second advantage. Red Bull is fielding a car at the weight limit for the first time, so they'll certainly be in the mix too. I hope Max can then compete at the front. Mercedes are the favourites, but the rest of the field is more than interesting."
Audi fitted upgraded power units to both cars at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix immediately after the FIA communicated the first ADUO (Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities) verdict, Autosport reports. The FIA parts document for the weekend showed new internal combustion engines and turbochargers, with the upgrades understood to include âa number of tweaksâ focused mainly on improving driveability rather than outright performance.
Cadillac team principal Graeme Lowdown said the team will bring a âsubstantialâ upgrade package to the Austrian Grand Prix, including new sidepods and a floor, as it tries to close the gap to the midfield. Lowdown said: "We are however pleased to be able to bring another substantial upgrade package this weekend. With new sidepods and floor it's a significant amount of work and we hope that it will continue our trajectory of steadily catching-up to the midfield."
Pierre Gasly says Alpine have been âcapitalisingâ on other carsâ retirements, but that the performance gap to the cars ahead has grown in recent weeks. Gasly said: "Touch wood, it's going to continue like that, and we're kind of capitalising on the retirements of other cars, but we've got to put ourselves on top of that midfield to make sure we get the most out of it⌠On the flip side, I think the gap with the cars has actually grown since the last few weekends, and we've got to definitely find a way to bring more performance, because at the moment we're just far away from these guys."
Charles Leclerc says his growing portfolio of business ventures is making him a âmore open-mindedâ Formula 1 driver, while insisting his priority remains becoming world champion. Leclerc said: "To work in a business, in a different environment, to get to know different people who have different passions. And I think that opens up your mind. So yeah, it clearly made me a more open-minded person and that always helps."
Haas driver Esteban Ocon says Max Verstappen will ânot go awayâ next year, amid speculation about the Red Bull driverâs Formula 1 future after his criticism of the battery-heavy engine regulations. Ocon said: "He will not go away. Clearly, if we were to lose such a winning driver for the technical regulations, it would be a problem. But it will not happen. They are listening to us, and we are moving in the right direction. I think there is a consensus that things were too complicated at the beginning of the year. And there have already been interventions, which is positive."
Valtteri Bottas says Lewis Hamiltonâs revival at Ferrari, capped by his first win for the team in Spain, may be down to âsmall thingsâ in the car that better suit the seven-time champion. Bottas said: "I think he has shown that he hasn't lost any of his ability to do great qualifyings and great races. Yeah, maybe this type of car is a bit different to in the past. Maybe it is the first car that has a bit of his DNA in it. Those small things can make a big difference because in the end, in this sport, we are talking about such fine margins. But it's good to see."
George Russell says he hurt his leg and ankle after misjudging the drop when jumping off his car in parc ferme following his âredemptionâ win at the 2025 Singapore Grand Prix. Russell said: "Something people might not know from this photo is that in Singapore, you drive up onto a little platform where the car goes. From my previous wins and the years gone by, when you jump off the car, you know how much you're falling. I jumped and went, 'Oh, shit'. The drop was bigger than I thought, because I was dropping beyond the platform. I landed, hurt my leg, hurt my ankle, but the adrenaline overcame me and carried me through it!"
McLaren boss Andrea Stella said the team had to make aerodynamic and mechanical modifications to get the most from its new front wing, after bringing it back for the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix. Stella said: "The front wing is a project that took a couple of races to understand exactly how to use it, what it was delivering. We saw there were some aspects which were not only aerodynamic, but also some from a mechanical point of view, which needed to be evolved. We took a couple of modifications since the first time we introduced it, and these modifications were effective, so we are happy now with the performance and the correlation of the data compared to the development tools we used on both cars."
Honda Racing Corporation president Koji Watanabe says Hondaâs âlong-term commitmentâ to Formula 1 has not changed despite a challenging start to its alliance with Aston Martin. Watanabe said: "There is no change in our evaluation or our commitment to HRC or motorsport activities at this stage. Taking the challenge of Formula 1 remains part of Honda's DNA â and it has not changed. We have a long-term commitment."
Lewis Hamilton says the rising costs of junior motorsport are âridiculousâ and that the sportâs leaders need to be held accountable for making the pathway more accessible. Hamilton said: "There's no accountability in terms of the people that run these organisations, or run the sports. I don't know how, but there needs to be some way to make it accessible. It's ridiculous. I know someone who has a kid who's eight years old, who is spending over a million dollars a year."
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